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Red-hot Louisville whips Connecticut again to claim AAC title

Make it three conference tournament titles in as many seasons for Louisville. The Cardinals carry plenty of momentum into the postseason — victories in 11 of their last 12 games — after beating Connecticut 71-61 in the American Athletic Conference Tournament's title game.

MEMPHIS — Make it three conference tournament titles in as many seasons for Louisville.

No, it wasn't another Big East Conference crown. And it didn't come at legendary Madison Square Garden. But the Cardinals carry plenty of momentum into the postseason — victories in 11 of their last 12 games — after beating Connecticut 71-61 in the American Athletic Conference Tournament's title game.

When it was over: UConn's last chance to mount a comeback effectively ended on Ryan Boatright's missed three-pointer with 1:40 to play. The shot — if made — would have cut Louisville's lead to 10 points.

Game ball: Montrezl Harrell continued to be a matchup nightmare for UConn. He's scored in double figures in all three games against the Huskies this season, finishing with 22 points and 11rebounds on Saturday.

Play of the game: It was simple, yes — but one play summed up Russ Smith late in the second half. Official stats credit UConn's DeAndre Daniels with a made layup at the 4:13 mark. It took Smith three seconds to run end to end and hit a bucket of his own, putting U of L up 67-51.

Stat of the game: Coach Rick Pitino criticized Smith's defense even as he scored a U of L conference tournament record 42 points Friday against Houston. Smith brought it on both ends in the title game, scoring 19 points to go with his five steals. The senior has numbered four or more steals in just six other games this season.

Unsung hero: This could also be known as the "Stephan VanTreese Award," because he regularly makes contributions that don't show up in a box score. This time, the former reserve who's cemented a starting spot in the Cards' lineup this month, did log a season-high threeassists from the center spot against UConn.

What's next: U of L could see its seeding improve thanks to an AAC title and losses to projected No. 2s Kansas and Wisconsin, although ESPN's Joe Lunardi knocked the Cardinals to a four seed on Saturday. Still, most experts viewed U of L as a three with a two ceiling entering the day.

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